The Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils and Vegas Golden Knights Have Seen Big Changes Lately
the Nashville Predators and New Jersey Devils have made a lot of additions early in free agency while the Vegas golden knights have lost some key players we have that and a whole lot more coming up on today’s lock on NHL [Music] podcast you’re locked on NHL your daily podcast on the National Hockey League part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day Gil Martin here and welcome to the MonDay edition of the locked on NHL podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day I want to thank everyone who makes lockon NHL your first listen every day don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast so you can get new episodes as soon as they drop today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel make every moment more as playoffs wind down the sports sto sporting like we want them to but this Sumer FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily that’s right there’s something for everyone every day all summer long visit fanduel.com to get started it is my pleasure to welcome back to the show the co-host of locked on predators and Kimmel and an gotta say You must be in recovery mode after this busy last 10 days in Nashville as the dust starts to settle uh how do you feel about all these moves that the Predators have made I will tell you my initial feeling was when I yesterday clicked on the Nashville Predators page and saw a picture of Stephen Stam Co listed with his stats Under The Heading Nashville Predators and we are feeling pretty excited here in Nashville it has been a wild ride with the free agency signings and the draft picks that they picked up they just wrapped up development camp and it has been a busy 10 days but I will tell you the excitement in Nashville over this Predator season coming up is electric did you expect battery trots to be that active I mean I know there was cap space available but did you expect them to be that uh aggressive in free agency I think if you had told us that hey he’s looking to land a couple of players and if you would have thrown out Steven Stam Co Jonathan marcheso and Brady Shay everybody and Nashville would have been very excited to sign one of them but like you said Barry trots had money to spend and I think that the team last year proved some things to him that made him feel like you know what right now is a good time to invest and if you can get players like these three players go get them all so while we expected he would be busy and of course everybody in Nashville had heard the rumors about potentially pursuing Steven Stam Co I don’t know that anyone really believed that Nashville would be able to get that deal done on top of and with Jonathan marcheso and Brady Shay and Scott Wedgewood came in too as a backup goenda it being that action-packed with that big of a draw of players coming in as far as leadership is concerned you’ve got to be excited about Stam CO’s role on the team in that capacity absolutely now at the end of the season Barry trots Tred Ryan mcdna back to Tampa Bay at McD’s request just for off ice reasons and he was very committed to bringing in somebody who had the leadership that Ryan mcdna had in the locker room well you get Stephen Stam Co who has won those same two Stanley Cups that Ryan MCD had won has been a captain in Tampa Bay and it is so important right now where the Predators are with their franchise to bring in these what Barry trotz calls serial winners these players who have made the playoff runs and been successful in the Stanley Cup who have that leadership as they’re bringing up some younger players too they’re really resetting the culture and the players that they got this free agency are absolutely off ice what Barry trots wanted where do you see these guys fitting into the lineup have you thought about line combinations yet have you had time it’s definitely been something everybody’s dreaming about now where will they fit in will be very interesting the Predators had a lot of success with the Topline last year of Philip forsberg Ryan O’Reilly and Gustaf Nyquist but will Andrew brunette want to break that top line up to mingle in Steven Stam Co and Jonathan marcheso we haven’t heard from Andrew brunette yet we did ask Barry trotz Barry trots what are you thinking about the lineups and he said whoa I am not gonna get in the coach’s business I know better so we’re gonna wait and see what Andrew brunette draws up in training camp but the opportunities the options are endless not just for these amazing players that they have veteran wise but also for some of the younger players that may slot in with somebody like a Jonathan marcheso or a Steven Stam Co how important was it to resign UC Saros it literally was the key to everything else that happened on that first day in free agency because in our media availability with both marcheso and Stam Coast we haven’t yet had a chance to hear from Brady Shay but they were very clear they were looking for a team that was committed to winning and if you don’t have UC Soros in net with the Nashville Predators you don’t have a team that is serious a contender so resigning UC staros absolutely the most critical first step in the success that we saw last week and what is your biggest concern right now you have all these high-profile additions a lot of excitement what what little voice you know what’s the little voice in the back of your mind saying that maybe has you a little bit concerned heading into this season I’ve tried to just let I’ve tried to ride the wave of Joy this past week but I will say there’s a couple of things you look at Jonathan marcheso coming off of a career season 33 years old which we know in hockey years is maybe heading towards the end of a career or or inching that way well he played with Jack eel do the Nashville Predators have somebody who is going to work as well with Jonathan marshes so as somebody like Jack eel the same with step stampco you know he had some extraordinary linemates in Tampa Bay are we going to have the right fit here in Nashville that is going to help them continue their success I think probably they’re going to find some pieces but it may not be a quick adjustment they may have to try some different players to find that right fit so I do think that Predators fans are going to have to be a little little bit patient and it’s going to be hard to be patient the first time you see these guys in a gold jersey no question about that how did you feel about the draft I know Prospect Camp just you know ended and and was there somebody who stood out there and and someone who you’re really looking forward to seeing them develop definitely they came uh they went to the draft with nine picks came home with eight prospects and I have to tell you eigor Surin who they took with the 22nd pick overall absolutely won the city over and a lot of the picks for Nashville were what I would kind of describe as identity picks these are players that definitely have a some sort of exceptional skill set in an area or two but the thing that really stands out across the board with this draft class is that Barry chots went after players who had kind of that high drive that uh motor always going that uh loves to compete always going after the puck and and that’s sort of an identity piece that trotz is working on with veterans and Prospects as well so I think across the board you saw that in these eight draft picks but again eigor Surin they had their future stars game at the end of development camp this past weekend scored the first goal not afraid to celebrate uh came 17 years old came with you know kind of broken English and was happy to do media was engaged in you know building relationships with other players and with the coaching staff he did have to be told very specifically you cannot check players in development Camp until the Future Stars game so it was really a great week we got to see a lot from this draft class and previous draft classes and a lot of improvements in some of those players as well always a good thing uh no doubt about that uh as far as cap space is concerned do they have much left and are there any things left on the checklist between now and the started training camp yeah all of that cap space that they had is down to they do not have that cap space so Barry trotz did say that it is likely that he still will make one or two moves to make some cap space to give the Predators a little bit of breathing room did not indicate who that would be I think a lot of Nashville Predators fans are keeping their eye on a couple players Dante Fabro is a defenseman who is consistently brought up when you’re talking uh about trade deadline and potential interest another one that I would hate to see go but people have mentioned is Cody glass who actually played with Jonathan marcheso in Vegas I would love to see him back in the lineup he had a very tough season last season but we are gonna wait and see if Barry trotz is going to make some moves to free up a little bit more space soon all right and why don’t you tell our viewers and our listeners where they could find the podcast and where they can find you and your co-host on social media you can find the podcast on your favorite audio podcasting platform of course we are also on YouTube you can follow us on social media at lore Predators we’re constantly updating all of the craziness that is in Nashville right now and you can find me on social media at ankor Mama on ice and thank you so much always a pleasure thanks so much Gil today’s episode is brought to you by your friends at FanDuel I love sports I love them so much I never want them to stop but as the playoffs wind down we get fewer games and the sports aren’t sportsing like I want them to but FanDuel lets me keep Sports going whatever I want all I have to do is open the app and dream up bets anytime I’m in the mood and this summer FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily that’s right there’s something for everyone every day all summer long obviously you’ve got Major League Baseball you want to bet on your favorite team you want to bet on who the winning pitcher of a game is going to be who’s going to win the pennant lots of options there just head on over to fanduel.com and start making the most out of your summer that’s fanduel.com FanDuel official sports betting partner of Major League Baseball it is my pleasure to welcome back to the show the host of locked on Devils Trey Matthews and Trey never a dull moment over the last few weeks for the New Jersey Devils let’s start about what happened even before the draft the Devils Landing their goalie uh Jacob markstrom what impact do you think that’ll have on the franchise going forward well it’s definitely going to be an interesting circumstance for the Devils because Jacob marstrom is up there in age and he has this season and then next season remaining on his contract how will the Devils go on from from there we don’t we don’t really know but for the time being I think Tom ferel did a good job in getting a goalie because if we look at some of the other options that were available UC Soros he just signed a lengthy extension with the Nashville Predators Conor heluk he resigned with the um with the Jets last summer apparently he was having his name float around in trade discussions and I think the Devils were linked to him at one point then you see that the Ottawa Senators had to sacrifice their or or yeah they had to sacrifice their first round draft pick to the Boston Bruins to get lenaar and the Devils they sacrificed their first round draft pick next year and also Kevin ball for markstrom now here’s the thing I don’t think it’s a lose lose either way for Devils because they didn’t have to sacrifice their 10th overall pick in the draft that happened just last week and also is like if the devils are a playoff team once again they’re not going to care about that first round draft pick but if they are absolutely awful yet again then that first round draft pick that they sacrific is top 10 protected so if the Devils do end up tanking they’ll get that draft pick right back and that sort of falls into their favor as well my thing is like Jacob marstrom was he the best goalie available compared to some of the other names I just listed no but he did lead the league in shut out a couple seasons ago he was second in the vno trophy race finishing behind eigor shurkin a couple years ago I think Jacob marrom is an upgrade over the previous tandem that the Devils had which was Jake Allen and kappal kinan or if you want to go a little bit further VCH bansek and um and Aira Schmid who who do you think will win the backup job behind markstrom this year Jake Allen that no ANS ifs or butts about it Jake Allen still has this season remaining on his contract he was very good with the Devils but the problem is like you don’t really want to make him the go-to guy especially if you want to be a playoff caliber team Jake Allen I think he’ll be a solid backup and Tom feral has revealed that the intent is for Jacob marstrom to be the starter makes a lot of sense right there as far as the devils are concerned also very busy uh with free agency uh bringing in uh Brett pesy Brandon Dylan to to add to the Blue Line how do these guys fit in and what impact do you expect them to have on the Devils so let’s go back a little bit the devils in last year’s free agency lost Damon Severson sign and trade with Columbus Blue Jackets and also Ryan Graves who signed a six-year contract I believe with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Damon Severson while he was always known as an offensive mind defenseman during that historic season that the Devils had he took a step back in terms of focusing more on defense and less on offense and he was a very good bottom four defenseman that’s why he suited up in 81 of the 82 potential games and his scoring numbers they went down but his defensive impact and you can look at the advanced analytics they were there and for Ryan Graves he was always tops in the NHL for plus minus or defensive point shares ratings so when the Devils lost that they lost experience they lost defensive capabilities and it it just left a hole that the Devils unfortunately could not fill and their blue line this past season was very inexperienced in Luke Hughes shimo neemt and also San Harry hota excuse me um and they just signed Sheamus Casey to his entrylevel contract so my thing is like they need to get more experience and they did that in br peshi even though pesh is not the most physical guy defensive minded defenseman that knows where to place himself and he has a tendency to elevate his game come playoff Time Brendan Dylan very physical guy I’m excited for him and let me tell you an interesting fact Gil so the Devils got not only Brendan Dylan added to their blue line they also got Paul Cotter as a bottom six asset this past season cter had 233 hits Dylan had 241 you want to know what the devil’s record is go ahead 225 by Blake Coleman during the 2018 2019 season physicality was a point of emphasis for the devils and they were able to do that so I like Brendan Dylan I I do like Brett pesy and they sort of focus more on defense and it balances it out a little bit more and Jonathan kovalevich from Montreal Canadians I think he was also very underrated as well he sort of replaces Kevin ball in a sense now you got some more defensive May defenseman but at the same time you got your players like douge Hamilton Luke Hughes shimo Nemitz guys are GNA focus more on the offense but on the defense Brett pesi Brendan Dylan and Jonas Sean ther not bad at all how about the additions at forward so far this off season I’m sorry can you say that again how about the additions at forward so far this for oh yeah yeah so Paul cter like I just mentioned I’ll be honest I think the devil sacrificed just a little too much to get his Services they they gave up Alexander Holz and AK Kira Schmid on the second day of the draft I feel like if you were to include Alexander Holtz and Akira Schmid in a different trade package then maybe you could get a lot more but I understand the direction that Fitzy was trying to go he was trying to replace the productivity of Michael McLoud and Miles wood and unfortunately no one’s ever going to replace mccloud’s Faceoff productivity he was just one of a kind in that sort of category but in terms of McLoud and wood they were both physical guys Blue Collar guys and two players that could get their name into the score sheet every now and again but they knew how to work the corners they knew how to play aggressive they weren’t afraid to throw their bodies around so you add Paul Carter you add Stephen n and offensively toas jar they the Devils reunite with him and he had a plus minus rating of plus 41 a couple seasons ago with the devils and he and Nico heser absolutely dominated teams when they were on the same line together they had an expected gold percentage of 64.2% which I think is pretty good if you ask me and will they recreate that magic only time will tell but you replaced Alexander Holtz gold production with Tomas Shar and you replace wood and also mccloud’s physicality and two-way ability with Stephen n and Paul cter to an extent but the one thing that cter needs to work on he needs to work on being a little more consistent so what’s left now for the Devils to do between now and training camp uh Fitzgerald revealed that his press conference that with how the cap is working right now he’s pretty much done and the main focus is to resign Dawson merer it’s Pro jeed that he’s going to get a bridge deal because unfortunately he had a career low in a lot of categories this past season but he’s still a very good asset and fisherald has said that Dawson Mercer is in the long-term plans that’s the mindset right now terms of trades in terms of moves free agency I think the devils are done they’re satisfied with what they got they fixed a lot of needs more bottom six uh depth more defensive depth and also a better goal tender they did all that now the main focus shifts to getting Dawson Mercer back all right Trey why don’t you tell our viewers and our listeners where they could find the podcast and where they can find you on social media you can find locked on Devils wherever you get your podcast from Apple Spotify wherever also on YouTube and you can follow me on social media at treat 4 or the shows xpage app lockon devils and I don’t know when this episode is going to go live but while you’re at it why don’t you wish me a happy birthday just turn 25 happy birthday to you and thanks so much thank you Gil it is my pleasure to welcome back to the show the co-host of locked on Vegas Golden Nights Chris gck and uh Chris it’s been a a busy couple of weeks in Vegas for the Golden Nights hosting the draft always uh exciting but then a lot of players who have been on the team heading elsewhere you’re overall assessment of everything that’s been going on roster wise um two things right now that stick out number one Jonathan marches so I’ll try to keep it quick um the team couldn’t come to terms with marches so the situation came down to term and the way the golden knights wanted to financially not the amount he was being paid but when he was paying it the golden knights were and for lack of better terms screwing around a little bit if you will tried to backload his contract when he was going to receive the money the a wouldn’t change a whole lot but the when the physical money came in it would have been near the end of the contract so that you know for lack of better term upset him a little bit and the gold kns and marches so parted ways the other big move is Logan Thompson this was very unfortunate um Logan has had some issues in the organization notably with him and goenda Shan Burke um two didn’t he eye to eye a lot of the time I guess will kind of leave right there which led to Logan Thompson requesting a trade so here comes elas Samson off to uh fill that void and um yeah here we are you mentioned samsonov how do you feel he fills that great awesome excited gonna be happier to have him and uh we’ll see I mean listen Samson off there’s a couple things here to to talk about number one three straight seasons of 40 or great greater appearances Aiden Hill has never had greater than 35 appearances in the regular season so the golden knights do need that um smaller deal made involving Akira schmeid from the new New Jersey Devils and Alex Holz maybe we’ll talk about that later but schmeid obviously a goenda issues or if samsonov does not do well between the pipes lav is Advanced metrics not very good but the dude choose up Innings if you will if we’re going to use a baseball term fair enough fair enough how do you replace marsho and his production um the gold Knights didn’t um you know there there’s been a lot of rumors about other players you still hear Mitch marner’s name getting mentioned I don’t know you hear Trevor Zess getting mentioned possibly there could be a path to a deal with Zess especially involving sheay Theodor and maybe some draft compensation we’ll see if that comes to fruition right now the path the golden kns have taken to replace marcheso starts internally with Pavel Doria and Brennan Bran Bran it’ll be his rookie season I think he’s got 15 or 18 NHL games under his belt couple of goals a few assists paval dor of a little bit better basically a points in every other game as far as his statistics go now enter Alec um Pardon Me Now enter Alexander Holt it’s been a long day uh Alexander Holt 16 goals 12 assists last season with the new Jersey Devils limited playing time fourth line roll see if the gold Knights can extract a little more out of him and then an interesting deal was made with Victor olivon only I think five goals last season not small handful of assists but he’s had 20 or greater goals three times throughout his career couple of those times with Jack eel so there’s some history there maybe the gold Knights will get lucky and catch lightning in a bottle with some combination of olivon bran and dorv obviously the golden knights since their Inception have been a win now team do you see that philosophy changing at this point or do you expect them to continue along that path the mindset is still win now but this is a transition period for the golden knights because the Stanley Cup window is still there you got eel you got Stone you got Pitch Angelo you got Noah hanifen you got Tomas Turtle Aiden Hill is a Stanley Cup winning goalie Zack whitecloud is Young Shay Theodore is Young we can go on and on Nicholas W Ivan barbashev a winning Championship core is still there not marches so unfortunately um I think the door closed a little bit with marches so’s exit so if the gold Knights can tread water until January not to make a a markstone joke but I will if the gold Knights can tread water until January February you never know what happens with this organization and injury it’s happened three years in a row it needs to be acknowledged fair fall otherwise it has happened three years in a row with high ranking players of this team going down which clears up salary cap space Kelly McMan has uh never met a trade he doesn’t like or around the trade deadline as well so we’ll see what happens if the team Treads water until January and some salary cap space becomes available or if some good shiny new Pieces come about on the trade market the km’s going to be a buyer now I think the realistic plan is get through next season see what happens with Holtz dorf of bran olivon see if these are any long-term pieces for this team because the gold Knights will have a lot of money after the 2425 season to address free agents bigger value free agents and really make a run for the cup in 25 26 and 26 27 makes sense uh H what has the fan reaction been to the last 10 days or so a lot of lot of damage controll by the golden knights right now you see articles popping up in the media and stuff trying to uh put a positive spin on this and then you got people like myself that aren’t necessarily being as positive about it and you know I think in the beginning it was 80% all the golden knights screwed this up Jonathan maroso is gone Doom and Gloom um time to riot at City National where the golden knights practice and where the Executive offices are that’s leveled off a little bit I think 50% of the fan base give or take is on the side of the golden knights side saying okay March so is getting old five years is too long and then you got people like me who are saying listen this is not a good period for the golden knights right now they lost every unrestricted free agents Chandler Stevenson um why am I drawing a blank will kerer Mike am Mario Alec Martinez got a four million dollar bag with Chicago that wasn’t happening in Vegas but still all these free agents left marching so is now on that list as well Logan Thompson asked for a trade these are big things happening with this team right now and now the golden knights are scrambling to fill a void of about 80 or 90 goals and almost 100 assists that are not with the team anymore and then you got the pr side of it which hasn’t been good so here comes Samson off here comes schme will Aiden Hill stay healthy will any of these other guys pop and find a way to replace that outfut there’s so much happening and can uh Bruce Cassidy who doesn’t have the best track record with younger players keep all this together there’s so many questions and I think troubled waters are ahead for this upcoming season the 2425 season for the Vegas golden knights do you expect any more moves between now and the start of training camp in September golden Knight’s got about $1.2 million to work with that’s way too much money on the credit card uh the golden knights I think will do something you could see something uh small like what a Daniel’s uh sprong strong sprong I think that’s how he pronounced his name he’s still out there you could see I mean I don’t know if the gold Knights got the assets to make that Marner Splash that’s I don’t know that’s um that that’s I don’t I don’t wishful thinking is the right way to put that but we’ll see Trevor Zess there could be a path involving Shay Theodor like we said earlier that would be interesting but is Zess that type of player to replace a mares so he’s flashy he’s fun does a lot of cool things out there lacrosse Michigan goals you know crazy assists from behind the net like he’s got a lot of flare to him but can he be on that top wing with Jack eel I don’t know I don’t know but if the team took a took a swing with h Trevor zus who has a lot of young productive years in them I’d be okay with that all right well I know you and your co-host will have things uh followed every step of the way Chris why don’t you tell our viewers and our listeners where they could find the podcast and where they could find you on social media yes so lockdown vgk just like it sounds YouTube anywhere you catch your podcast you can find me at TD chrisg like touchdown Chris G and uh I I’ve been a fun follow lately I I’ve been chirping a little bit I’ve been a little chirpy so uh come on and muck it up with me we’ll have some fun all right Chris thanks so much thank you so much guys lock on has launched the first ever National Sports 247 streaming Channel on YouTube now it’s also available on Amazon Fire TV and the free fire TV channels app locked on sports today is here for you 247 covering the top sports stories of the day with the local Experts of locked on plus our national shows covering every League find locked on sports today now available in the free Fire TV channels app I want to thank my guest an Kimmel of locked on Predators Trey Matthews of locked on devils and Chris garc of locked on vegus Golden kns for joining me today I’m Gil Martin I uh host the Monday edition of lockon NHL and I co-host the Friday edition along with Rachel Donner don’t forget every day as we are here Monday through Friday bringing you the biggest stories from around the National Hockey League so make sure you join us every day for that so you don’t miss an episode have a great day everybody stay safe and thanks for listening to and watching the locked on NHL podcast
The Nashville Predators made some big moves in free agency this offseason as GM Barry Trotz landed Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault while re-signing goalie Juuse Saros.
Ann Kimmel of Locked On Predators joins us to discuss the moves and what to expect in Music City this season after they’ve been made.
The New Jersey Devils acquired goalie Jacob Markstrom from the Flames and skaters like Brett Pesce, Stefan Noesen and Tomas Tatar.
Trey Matthews of Locked On Devils joins us to discuss the moves and the team’s new outlook for the 2024-25 season as a result.
And changes have come to Vegas as there was a substantial exodus of talent for the Vegas Golden Knights in free agency.
Chris Gawlik of Locked On Golden Knights joins us to discuss the impact of these changes and what to expect from VGK this coming season.
All this and more on today’s Locked On NHL Podcast with Gil Martin.
Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotors.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.
GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNHL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply.
FanDuelFanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. As playoffs wind down, the sports stop sporting like we want them to. But this summer, FanDuel is hooking up ALL CUSTOMERS with a boost or a bonus, DAILY! That’s right, there’s something for everyone, every day, all summer long! Visit FANDUEL.COMand add a big win to your summer bucket list!
FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)
Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LONHL?sid=YouTube
Locked On NHL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Prospects & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNHL
Follow Locked On NHL on Social
Twitter https://bit.ly/3hXyu5w
Facebook https://bit.ly/3BubZNc
#NHL #Hockey #nhlfreeagency